Royce
by RookWhite
Summary: This is my first fic. It's about a woman who's trying to find the man who slayed her village and avenge her village. I hope you like it!
1. A new ally

She was searching for revenge.

Revenge for herself. Revenge for her family. Revenge for her village. She was alone. The only survivor. She knew no one. And she hardly cared. She only lived for revenge.

Royce walked along. She wore a tight black shirt and pants. She wore thick black leather boots. Over it all Royce wore a thick black billowing cloak. Attached to the cloak was a hood she wore to hide her features. Her hair flowed straight down her back, black as night. Her eyes showed knowledge and strength, and were a luminescent blue. Her lips red as blood. Her skin was deathly pale, the perfect match for her dark hair and nature. She was thin and tall, six feet to be exact. She has a scar across each eye steeping to a point on her forehead. Royce wore twin blades across her back. Over the blades she wore a pack. On a leg of her pants she had a row of ninja stars. She wore a bow and quiver of arrows across her shoulder. Her hands were armed with sharp deadly, claws, and her mouth with fangs just as deadly.

Royce stopped walking and narrowed her eyes at a tree behind her. "Come out and face me like the demon that you are." She says as she turns to face the tree. Her voice is soft but dark, evil in its way.

A man steps out from behind the tree. He has long white hair that flows to just past his waist. The man is wearing a white kimono with at the ends of the sleeves and a flower pattern on one shoulder. He wears spiky black armor across his chest and a white fur boa across his free shoulder. He also wore black boots. His eyes were golden and had a red shadowy cover on the lids. There was a crescent moon He had two twin demon marks on each side of his face. His skin was pale and voice deep soft and quiet, though it was rarely heard. "You have noticed me."

"I noticed you some time ago. Why have you followed me?" Royce demanded, loosening a ninja star from her pants.

I read your thoughts. You are after my brother Inuyasha, Are you not?"

"I am. What's it to you?"

"You seek him to exact revenge. I will make you a deal."

"Name it. I will then choose whether to accept or decline your offer." Royce said to the handsome stranger.

"Very well. I will let you kill Inuyasha, if you bring me his precious sword the Tetsusaiga." He says, all the while thinking "and once you are out of the way... I will attack and kill Inuyasha and his puny little friends while he is weak."

"Very well. I will accept your offer. How will I contact you?"

"My name is Sesshoumaru. I will send Jaken with you. He will bring me the Tetsusaiga."

"As you wish, Sesshoumaru. Where is Jaken?" Royce inquires, just as Jaken himself comes waddling out of the bushes.

Jaken is a creature known as an imp toad. His skin is the green of leaves in the summer, and he has a beaklike mouth. He wears a green robe like kimono, and is a total of about three feet tall. He carries a twp-headed staff appropriately named the Staff of Heads, which is capable of burning an army of samurai to cinders. His voice is high and cowardly with quite a bit of whine to it.

"You called for me Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes Jaken. You will go with Royce and bring me the Tetsusaiga, and Inuyasha's left arm."

"Yes Milord!" Jaken replies to Sesshoumaru, bowing.

"I take my leave of you now. Good bye Sesshoumaru." Royce says formally, nodding her head in respect, and turns to leave. Jaken waddles after her and Sesshoumaru walks off in the other direction. "Tell me Jaken, what does Inuyasha look like?"

"Inuyasha is a half-breed. He has long silvery white hair, and dog-ears atop his head. He wears a red kimono made of fire rat's fur that can break a sword. He is always barefoot."

"Thank you Jaken." Royce says as she sniffs the air. "I do believe we're getting close." She states, pulling back a branch to reveal Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo walking.

Inuyasha stops and turns, spotting Royce and Jaken. "Who are you, demon? Why do you travel with Jaken?"

Royce smirks under her hood. "I see that you are who I seek." Royce draws her blades from her back as she walks out of the bushes. "I come too reign justice on you, Inuyasha." She states simply as she slashes full force at Inuyasha's throat.

Inuyasha blocks using his now transformed Tetsusaiga. "Should I slay you like the other demons I've fought, or leave you for Sesshoumaru to finish?"

"You won't have a chance seeing as you'll be dead."

"Why exactly are you trying to reign justice on me, wench?"

"Because you slaughtered my village. I will kill y--..." Royce's eyes fall and linger on Kagome, then move to Sango, earning her a slash down her arm. She sheaves her blades on her back and stands back from Inuyasha, just as he begins to speak.

"I never slaughtered a village! Who the hell told you that?!"

"The demon Naraku told me."

Miroku steps in. "Naraku is an evil demon, we have all suffered at his hand. Will you consider bearing my child, maiden?" Miroku is a monk dressed in black and purple robes. He holds in his hand a gold staff with jingling rings on the end. On his right hand he wears a gold ring that holds on a glove, which covers his wind tunnel and is sealed by a set of blue prayer beads around his wrist.

"No." Royce clearly states, shoving Miroku out of the way. "Naraku is evil you say? What has he done to you?" Royce inquires, pointing at Sango.

"He slaughtered my village of demon slayers, and I just barely survived." Sango answers, bowing her head.

"Then you may well indeed be innocent Inuyasha." Royce states, pulling down her hood and looking at him. "My name is Royce."

"Lord Sesshoumaru will surely slay you for your betrayal!" Jaken whines, shaking his staff at Royce.

"Can it, Toad."

"Why don't you join us Royce? You only want to avenge your village, and we could always use another string fighter. So how about it?" Kagome inquires.

"I will join you. But do expect me to very talkative." Everyone nods at this and starts walking again, Inuyasha in front with Kagome, and Royce in the back slowly.


	2. De Ja Vu

Royce walked along slowly, behind the others as usual. In all of the three days she had been with them, she hardly said a word. But that was about to change.

"Royce..." Miroku began slowly, "I have been wondering for some time now why you stopped after spotting Sango and Kagome?"

"No reason..." Royce said flatly, hiding what she really believed.

"Yeah... why did you stop?" Inuyasha inquired suspiciously. "Too afraid to fight in front of a woman?"

"No... it's... not like that..." Royce answered slowly, careful with her words.

"Then what is it? You can tell us you know..." Kagome says, curious herself.

"You wouldn't understand... I'll be back." Royce states, jumping off hurriedly.

"What her problem? She's acting like she's got some big secret..." Inuyasha says, continuing on.

"I want to know how she got her scar..." Kagome says, looking after Royce.

"So do I... I think I'll ask her sometime." Sango states, turning around.

Kagome nods and follows everyone else, wondering if she shouldn't go find Royce.

"They wouldn't understand... None of them would. No one ever has... and no one ever will... I guess I'm just destined to be alone for all eternity..." Royce says to herself, and sighs. "MY parents could hardly even stand to be around me, demons as they were. No one will ever understand me the way you do..." Royce says, tears filling her eyes, and stroking the hair of a rag doll in her hand.

A demon lurks in the shadows, watching, waiting. Remembering the time he nearly succeeded in his task, and gave Royce that fateful scar. "I'm coming for you... your _magesty..." _


	3. Seiko reveals himself

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters.

Royce looks up, surprised by the voice and the title. "Oro?" She states, looking around. Then she smells something which makes her blanch white. "Good god..." Touching her scar. She stands up and and draws out a ninja star, sending towards the demon in hiding. "I see you've come back for me, Seiko. Has vengeance brought you to me again for a crime I did not commit?"

"You catch on quick Princess... too fast for your own good. This time you die." Seiko says as he steps out of the bushes. "I thirst for your blood, and only your blood will quench that thirst." Seiko lunges at Royce, who fires an arrow straight into his chest.

"I thought you would have learned not to underestimate me, But I guess not." Royce says to him, drawing her blades from her back and slashing at Seiko.

Seiko dodges her attacks, but hasn't a chance to attack her himself. "Why not drop your hood and let me see that beautiful face Your Highness?"

"Why don't I rip out your guts and feed them to you Seiko?" Royce asks, and does just that. "You're finished." She says, towering over him and slicing off his head with her claws. Tries the blood. "Disgusting..." She states, bending down at a stream to wash his filth from her hands.

Inuyasha jumps down behind her, Kagome and Shippo on his back, with Sango and Miroku not far behind riding Kilala. "What happened? I smelt demon blood." He demands, as usual.

"Just an old aquaintence. Would you like to meet what is left?" Rpyce says calmly, leading them back to where Seiko lies dead and retreaving her ninja star and arrow from his body.

"Ugh... You did that... with your hands...?" Kagome asks slowly, looking ready to vomit.

"Sure did. Should we get moving?" Royce asks and walks off without waiting for an answer.

Inuyashs lets Kagome and Shippo down, then walks off following Royce. "Not bad, for a woman we don't even know."

"Wait Inuyasha... This demon has a jewel shard. It's in what's left of it's head..." Kagome starts and screams as the demons body starts to reform itself.


	4. Suspicions revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of characters.

Inuyasha walked up to the demon and grabbed the shard out of its head, and its skin fell away as its bones crumbled. "There's something fishy about that woman, Kagome. And I'm going to find out how she can kill a demon so easily, especially when it's as powerful as she is." Inuyasha told her, dropping the shard into her hand after wiping it off.

"I like her though. She stopped of her own accord, and it seemed that she resented having to do that. But I think the two of them have some kind of past. What do you think Inuyasha?"

"I think we should go after her and keep a close watch on her, for all we know this could be elaborate scheme of Sesshoumaru's..." Inuyasha remarked, kneeling down for Kagome to climb onto his back.

"I agree with Inuyasha, even though Royce does seem friendly enough." Shippo said as Kagome picked him up before climbing onto Inuyasha's back.

"I still say she's nice though. Inuyasha if you question her, be nice about it. Or I'll say the word." Kagome says stubbornly as Inuyasha jumps towards the others.

Royce reached Sango and Miroku first, obviously deep in thought, but Miroku Questions her anyway. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Royce looks at him, looking as if she's just woken up. "Everyone is fine. I encountered an, old friend." She explains, half-smirking, and sits down. "Inuyasha Kagome and Shippo are on their way back now. Let's sit and wait for them."

Sango glanced at Miroku, but said nothing and sat down. "Are you sure their on their way, Royce?" She was still uncomfortable with the strange demon in their midst.

"Yes I am quite sure, and I know you don't trust me. But I'm not trustworthy and I don't deal out trust myself so you have every right to be." Royce states and grabs a rock off the ground and starts sharpening her claws on it, making a dull screeching sound like nails on a blackboard. Sango and Miroku cover their ears against the sound, and Kilala immediately stands up and starts hissing.


	5. Stories Told

Inuyasha carried Shippou and Kagome back to the others, grumbling all thw while grumbling about Royce's strange behaviour. Kagome sighed and Shippou rolled his eyes, but neither said a word to the half demon.

Royce looked up from sharpening her claws, oblivious to Kilala's hissing, as Inuyasha came up to the clearing. "I was beginning to wonder is something had happened to the three of you. You took long enough coming back. Snago and Miroku were worried about you."

"Alright woman, who the hell ARE you?" Inuyasha demands, drawing the Tetsusaiga and transforming it.

"I already told you, I am Royce." She states clearly, looking up calmly at her companion. "What is it you wish to know?"

Inuyasha glares down at her, eyes narrowed. "Everything. Starting with how you killed that demon back there."

"Very well. It all started with the deaths of the villagers, six months ago. The patrols and guards were enforced, but the deaths were continued. We decided it was an inside job, and so certain soldiers were put under surveillance. Still people continued to die. Then there was the massacre. Men, women, children, All slaughtered ruthlessly. My Mother and Father joined in the fight, but it was too late. A demon killed them. I watched them die, but I never got close enough to the demon to have enough to identify it by.

"Naraku rescued me, hours after my parents died. We talked, and he told me Inuyasha was the one who had slaughtered my village. He advised me to take a range of weapons in order to slay you, Inuyasha. And I did. I raided the armoury, and have spent much time since training.

"The demon you saw back there, his name was Seiko. He cornered me about a month ago, and tried to… well we engaged in battle, though neither of us won then. That's how I got my scar." She stated calmly, pulling back her hood to reveal the scars across her eyes. "We fought again just now, though it wasn't much a fight. I killed him with ease. He'd underestimated my new strength, and that was deadly mistake, which ultimately ended his life." Royce sighed and reclined against a tree.

Everyone was silent for long minutes, no one had the courage to speak.

Inuyasha sheathed his blade, eyes softening. "I'm sorry I misjudged you…" He looked away and sat down, feeling sorry for the mysterious and strange woman who had just spilled her life's story to them.


End file.
